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ladytiara's review
4.0
"I am broken because I have a disability. I am broken because I am incapable of sitting still for hours at a time and performing the mind-numbing repetitive tasks that I am required to do. Abelard is broken because he can't smile and say hello, and he doesn't like crowds, which is basically what high school is--one giant, swirling, chaotic crowd."
Lily is a high school student with ADHD. School is a daily chaotic torture for her. She's skipping class, and she's failing many of her classes, because her ADHD makes the bureaucratic nonsense of high school extremely difficult for her, even though she's very smart. A mishap with a broken door lands her in detention with Abelard, a fellow student who's on the autism spectrum. After Lily randomly kisses Abelard (she has definite issues with impulse control), the two form a connection and begin texting each, using quotes from the Letters of Abelard Heloise (a pair of star-crossed medieval lovers).
I really liked this book. It's good to see ADHD and autism representation in a YA book. From my limited knowledge of ADHD, the portrayal seemed realistic. I really felt like I was inside the mind of a teenage with ADHD, and it showed how difficult life can be for someone with this condition. Some of the dialogue in the book is rendered as partial nonsense to show how Lily experiences it: "You'll note, Miss Michaels-Ryan, that I have filled out a Skrellnetch form for you. Your mother will have to sign the kerblig and return it to the main office before you can be burn to clabs." The portrayal of Abelard's ASD felt realistic too, although we see less of his struggle since this is really Lily's story.
Lily felt like a very realistic teenager. She's not one of those extemely precocious, totally unrealistic YA teens. She's a smart, but rather immature teenage with some serious impulse control issues. The mom in me wanted to shake Lily a few times, and say please tell someone that the drugs make you feel dead inside and that you have suicidal ideation. But her not telling anyone feels realistic and true to the character.
The romance is very sweet, and although it's important to the plot, it's not the sole focus. The book is just as much about Lily feeling broken and unfixable. I found Lily's relationship with her mother a bit more compelling. Her mother is doing the best she can; she's a single mom with limited resources and she's in over her head. But she is really trying, and she leaps at the opportunity for a new treatment that might help Lily. Lily views all of her mother's attempts to help her as merely trying to "fix" her, so there's a lot of tension.
If you care about such things, the romance in this book is extremely chaste, on account of Abelard having issues with being touched. Although there is some kissing, most of the romance is over texts quoting the actual letters of Heloise and Abelard. (This is pretty swoony stuff for us medieval history buffs.)
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
Lily is a high school student with ADHD. School is a daily chaotic torture for her. She's skipping class, and she's failing many of her classes, because her ADHD makes the bureaucratic nonsense of high school extremely difficult for her, even though she's very smart. A mishap with a broken door lands her in detention with Abelard, a fellow student who's on the autism spectrum. After Lily randomly kisses Abelard (she has definite issues with impulse control), the two form a connection and begin texting each, using quotes from the Letters of Abelard Heloise (a pair of star-crossed medieval lovers).
I really liked this book. It's good to see ADHD and autism representation in a YA book. From my limited knowledge of ADHD, the portrayal seemed realistic. I really felt like I was inside the mind of a teenage with ADHD, and it showed how difficult life can be for someone with this condition. Some of the dialogue in the book is rendered as partial nonsense to show how Lily experiences it: "You'll note, Miss Michaels-Ryan, that I have filled out a Skrellnetch form for you. Your mother will have to sign the kerblig and return it to the main office before you can be burn to clabs." The portrayal of Abelard's ASD felt realistic too, although we see less of his struggle since this is really Lily's story.
Lily felt like a very realistic teenager. She's not one of those extemely precocious, totally unrealistic YA teens. She's a smart, but rather immature teenage with some serious impulse control issues. The mom in me wanted to shake Lily a few times, and say please tell someone that the drugs make you feel dead inside and that you have suicidal ideation. But her not telling anyone feels realistic and true to the character.
The romance is very sweet, and although it's important to the plot, it's not the sole focus. The book is just as much about Lily feeling broken and unfixable. I found Lily's relationship with her mother a bit more compelling. Her mother is doing the best she can; she's a single mom with limited resources and she's in over her head. But she is really trying, and she leaps at the opportunity for a new treatment that might help Lily. Lily views all of her mother's attempts to help her as merely trying to "fix" her, so there's a lot of tension.
If you care about such things, the romance in this book is extremely chaste, on account of Abelard having issues with being touched. Although there is some kissing, most of the romance is over texts quoting the actual letters of Heloise and Abelard. (This is pretty swoony stuff for us medieval history buffs.)
I received an ARC from Amazon Vine.
steph01924's review
4.0
Some people might pass on this one because it will look and feel like an “issues” book, but Creedle makes it so much more than that. There was a wry humor to the characters, and plenty of realistic moments about how much adolescence sucks, but with the hope that life can improve with time. Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
meo's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
beatrizviula's review
5.0
Such an awesome book about a ND young couple’s love! It is the first novel I’ve read where the main character has ADHD and it feels so nice to see this type of representation in literature even if it’s a YA book!
rynflynn12's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
dmchesher's review
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
mckinlay's review
3.0
I must admit that a big reason why i only found this to be mediocre is probably because i'm just so over hetero romances, unless there's some other kind of draw. i thought the mental health aspect would be a draw for me, but i couldn't get past the insta-love feeling.
as for the rep in this, I've only witnessed ADHD as a sibling, but it seemed well represented, which isn't surprising because it is #ownvoices. I don't really have any experience with people on the autism spectrum, so I can't speak for that. I encourage you to seek out #ownvoices reviews to find out more.
as for the rep in this, I've only witnessed ADHD as a sibling, but it seemed well represented, which isn't surprising because it is #ownvoices. I don't really have any experience with people on the autism spectrum, so I can't speak for that. I encourage you to seek out #ownvoices reviews to find out more.
rachelwrites007's review
4.0
On a second read: I still struggle with the ending, but man do I love so much of this book, especially:
“Yes,” Abelard said finally. “You are a fractured snowflake, a pattern repeated in infinite detail in a world full of salt crystals. You’re not broken—you’re perfect.”
&&
“Love is about being broken beyond repair in the eyes of the world and finding someone who thinks you're just fine, that you are special and precious because you understand how it feels to be broken and you have a real human heart.”
“Yes,” Abelard said finally. “You are a fractured snowflake, a pattern repeated in infinite detail in a world full of salt crystals. You’re not broken—you’re perfect.”
&&
“Love is about being broken beyond repair in the eyes of the world and finding someone who thinks you're just fine, that you are special and precious because you understand how it feels to be broken and you have a real human heart.”